(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced he will activate the state’s Severe Cold Weather Protocol in anticipation of overnight temperatures in the teens and single digits on Saturday and Sunday. The activation will go into effect tonight and last until Monday morning, when Connecticut will be back to seasonal weather with warmer than normal temperatures later in the week.

“With temperatures expected to drop to bitter cold lows over the weekend, I have ordered the activation of the state’s Severe Cold Weather Protocol until Monday morning,” said Governor Malloy. “I will have state agencies coordinating with 2-1-1 and Connecticut’s network of shelters to ensure that the state’s most vulnerable people are protected from exposure to the severe cold.”

Governor Malloy also announced that he has submitted a modified emergency disaster declaration to President Barack Obama to allow an increase in vehicle weight limits on the transportation of salt. This provision expands on the official disaster declaration Governor Malloy requested last night from President Obama to address a potential municipal salt shortage. The Governor’s request would permit the Connecticut Department of Transportation to authorize a temporary gross vehicle weight increase and, in turn, allow the agency to provide expedited emergency assistance to the state’s municipalities and tribal nations’ most in need of road salt.